St. John Joseph of the Cross
Feastday: March 5
St. John Joseph of the Cross was born about the middle of the seventeenth century in the beautiful island of Ischia, near Naples. From his childhood he was the model of virtue, and in his sixteenth year he entered the Franciscan Order of the Strictest Observance, or Reform of St. Peter of Alcantara. Such was the edification he gave in his Order, that within three years after his profession he was sent to found a monastery in Piedmont. He became a priest out of obedience, and obtained, as it seems, an inspired knowledge of moral theology. With his superiors' permission he built another convent and drew up rules for that community, which were confirmed by the Holy See. He afterward became Master of Novices. Sometimes later he was made provincial of the province of Naples, erected in the beginning of the eightheenth century by Clement XI. He labored hard to establish in Italy that branch of his Order which the sovereign Pontiff had separated from the one in Spain. In his work he suffered much, and became the victim of numerous calumnies. However, the saint succeeded in his labors, endeavoring to instill in the hearts of his subjects, the double spirit of contemplation and penance bequeathed to his Reform by St. Peter of Alcantara. St. John Joseph exemplified the most sublime virtues, especially humility and religious discipline. He also possessed numerous gifts in the supernatural order, such as those of prophesy and miracles. Finally,consumed by labors for the glory of God, he was called to his reward. Stricken with apoplexy, he died an octogenarian in his convent at Naples on March 5, 1734. His feast day is March 5th.
St. Piran
Feastday: March 5
Piran was a hermit near Padstow in Cornwall and sometimes called Perran. He is the patron saint of tin mines there and is often erroneously identified with St. Kyran (Kieran) of Saighir. His feast day is March 5th.
St. Theophilus
Feastday: March 5
195
Bishop of Caesarea (modern Israel). He is best known for his opposition to the Quartodecimans, a Christian sect which believed that Easter should be held on the Jewish Passover and not necessarily on a Sunday
St. Colman of Armagh
Feastday: March 5
St. Colman of Armagh: Disciple of St. Patrick, buried by him in Armagh, Ireland.
St. Adrian
Feastday: March 5 & 7
309
A missionary and martyr who was caught up in the persecutions conducted by Emperor Galerius. With a companion, Eubulus, he was arrested in Caesarea, in modern Israel. The local governor, Firmilian, tried Adrian and his fellow missionary who had come to the region to counsel the local Christians. Both of these men endured torture before being executed.
St. Virgilius of Arles
Feastday: March 5
610
Archbishop and miracle worker. A native of Gascony, France, he studied on the island of Lerins, off the French coast near Cannes, eventually serving as abbot of the monastery there. He Iater was abbot of St. Symphorien in Autun and archbishop of Aries, also serving as apostolic vicar to King Childebert II (r. 575-595). He probably consecrated St. Augustine as archbishop of Canterbury and was responsible for founding churches in ArIes. Virgilius was also rebuked by Pope St. Gregory I the Great (r. 590-604) for permitting the forced conversion of Jews. He was also a wonder worker, credited with many miracles.
St. Carthach
Feastday: March 5
540
An Irish bishop, called “the Elder” and Carthage. He was the successor of St. Kieman in Ossory. He was the son or grandson of a local king.
Blessed Dionysius Fugishima
Feastday: March 5
1622
Martyr of Japan. He was a Japanese-born Jesuit novice. Dionysius belonged to a noble house of Aitzu, Arima province, in Japan. He was martyred at Shimabara on November 1, with Blessed Paul Navarro.
St. Eusebius of Cremona
Feastday: March 5
423
Abbot of Bethlehem, Israel, a friend of St. Jerome and St. Paula. A native of Cremona, Italy, he went to Rome and met St. Jerome and went to the Holy Land where he met St. Paula and her mother, St. Eustochium. They settled in Bethlehem, and Eusebius returned to Italy to raise funds for a pil¬grim hostel. He was involved in the dispute over Origen and is believed to have persuaded Pope St. Anastasius to condemn Origen’s writings. Eusebius served for a time as an abbot in Bethlehem but then returned to Cremona in 400. A tradition credits him with founding Guadalupe Abbey in Spain. He supported St. Jerome’s writings and work.
St. Gerasimus
Feastday: March 5
475
Hermit and follower of St. Euthymius. Born in Lycia, Asia Minor. He was a merchant who visited hermits in Egypt. Upon his return to Palestine, he founded a laura, or eremtical community, in Jericho, Israel. Gerasimus was famous for his austerity and miracles.
St. Kieran
Feastday: March 5
530
The “first born of the saints of Ireland,” sometimes listed as Kieran Saighir or Kevin the Elder. He was a native of Ossory, and after living for a time as a hermit, he is believed to have been consecrated a bishop by St. Patrick, taking his place as the first bishop of Ossory. Another tradition states that he was consecrated in Rome. Legends attribute remarkable miracles to Kieran.
